I don’t know if it is just the coffee taking over this morning or if there is any real method to my ramblings, but I woke up thinking about what surprises we may see this season and the more coffee I poured down my gullet the more my mind was flooded with scenarios. Instead of trying to put my thoughts in a list or some sort of coherent order, I figured it would be best to just let them fly in a “What if…” format to just put the idea out there and let you decide the answers. It may be a bumpy ride, but here it goes.
The Rangers spent a ton of money over the summer to boost their roster with big name free agent forwards to form a solid top two lines in the hope that they will go farther in the postseason.
What if…. Failing to worry about their blueline becomes their biggest problem?
What if…. The chemistry between all of their top forwards is flat or induces a power struggle for ice time and leadership?
What if…. The arbitration fiasco with Avery becomes a cancer in the locker room?
Capitals owner Ted Leonsis recently said he expects his team to make the playoffs this season citing reasons including being tired of the rebuilding process and wanting results.
What if…. The Caps fail to provide results? What other option is there other than rebuilding? Going back to spending a ton of cash on washed up vets with big contracts?
What if…. The Caps do make the playoffs with the new cast of supporting players? Will they finally be able to sell tickets?
What if…. They put together a line of Kozlov, Ovechkin and Semin. Will they call it “The Russian Front”?
The Flames hired controversial coach Mike Keenan who has a knack for rubbing his players the wrong way and has more than once drove top talent out of town.
What if…. The Flames fail to re-sign Miikka Kiprusoff and continue with the plan of overusing him and Keenan presses the thumbscrews on him to perform better?
What if…. The combination of Keenan and Sutter becomes a power struggle for control of the team and the direction of the future?
What if…. The players just don’t respond to Keenan’s “old school” tactics?
The Sabres took a huge hit this summer losing their leadership and having to shell out big bucks to keep Vanek.
What if…. The now super rich Vanek has a sub-par season in term of production?
What if…. No one steps up to become a leader and they spend the season searching for an identity?
What if…. They miss the playoffs altogether? Can management fire themselves?
The Bruins have been knocked the last couple of seasons for the lack of solid goaltending and a defensive deficiency in their performance.
What if…. Claude Julian is the answer they have been looking for?
What if…. Claude Julian is just another added to a long list of coaching failures?
What if…. Coaching hasn’t been the problem all along?
What if…. They finally found a goaltending tandem that works?
What if…. They suddenly realize they have too many centers and not enough on the wings?
What if…. They actually improve defensively but can’t find scoring?
What if…. They dwell in the cellar for the next couple of years and win the Tavares lottery?
The Ducks seem poised to be able to be right in the mix again come playoff time this season. Minus a couple of heavyweights, for now, they still look formidable on paper.
What if…. They experience the same kind of “hangover” the Hurricanes brought into last season?
What if…. Some of their key players that helped win them the cup didn’t have enough time to heal?
What if…. They simply pick up where they left off? Can they really repeat?
The Maple Leafs have been going down the same path for some time now with little results, never really rebuilding or boosting the roster enough to make a difference.
What if…. The ownership grows tired of the status quo and calls for the heads in the front office to roll?
What if…. They are out of the playoff picture come trade deadline time? Will they unload Sundin for picks and prospects and try to re-sign him the following season ala Kieth Tkachuk?
What if…. The additions of Blake and Toskala ends up being just what they needed to put them into the postseason, will J.F.jr. still get the axe?
It will be difficult for the Senators to keep the current roster intact after this season facing having to re-sign their top players who will command big money contracts.
What if…. They lose Spezza, Heatley and Redden next summer?
What if…. They don’t recover from the sting of losing to the Ducks and are out of contention by the deadline? Will they move Alfie to free up cap space to resign Spezza and Heatley?
What if…. Ray Emery was a one hit wonder?
The Lightning have been riding the same trail since their cup win, sinking most of their payroll in three players and have not seen the same results since.
What if…. The “big three” fail to produce results once again? Will they finally realize the need for a balanced roster? Will they move Vinnie?
What if…. They find themselves at the bottom of the division? Will they move Vinnie?
What if…. They finally realize that they have raided the farm too much over the last couple of seasons to fill the roster and there is nothing left to pick from? Will they move Vinnie?
What if…. They move Vinnie?
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Friday, September 7, 2007
J.R. - WE ALL LOVE TO HATE HIM
Am I the only one who finds all of the Internet chatter about the return of Jeremy Roenick funny? I mean here we have a guy who has been slammed, for a good part of his career, for spouting off at the mouth with his opinions. Every time JR makes the news, the first thing people do is spout off at the mouth giving their opinion on how much they dislike players who spout off at the mouth. Message boards and blog threads across the globe are jam packed with pokes, jabs and some down right nastiness all about how much this guy bugs them. Granted, JR does cross the line sometimes with his comments to the press to the point where he fills the role of the NHL version of T.O. Everyone loves to hate him. With that said, let’s get to the fact of the matter regarding Roenick and his signing with the Sharks.
My initial thought about the signing was: Why? The Sharks don’t need another center. They pushed every team around during the regular season and then got pushed around in the playoffs and Roenick certainly doesn’t fix that problem. They really didn’t need to find secondary scoring and a progressively declining Roenick definitely won’t be providing that anyway. So why would they sign this guy? Grit? Come on, that can’t be it unless you only need grit on the bench and in the locker room, because his grittiness ends there these days. Leadership? With guys like Thornton, Marleau, Davison and Brown I highly doubt that was it. When you ask the question of what is the missing piece the Sharks need to advance through the playoffs, JR and his 28 points certainly doesn’t come to mind. So all we are left to do is ask why with no real answer forthcoming.
Instead of asking why would the Sharks sign him, let’s ask why would he want to sign with the Sharks over retiring. This will be fun; I can get my shots in on him during this part! Let’s see….Umm, the Sharks are a team that has a shot at winning the cup and all he would have to do is ride the coattails of his teammates to have one last chance on getting his name on the trophy. How about reaching 500 goals? He is only 5 goals away from that plateau. Better yet, how about reaching #2 all time goals for U.S. born players? Joe Mullen stands at 507, which is only 12 goals away. Let’s face it folks, a friggin’ tree stump could score 12 goals on a power play where Thornton is dishing the puck. Come to think of it the tree stump might be a better idea, JR didn’t score 12 goals last season and the stump would probably come cheaper. Okay, that’s all fine and dandy and I’m sure that somewhere in the back of Roenick’s mind this is motivation enough to give it another try, but this is Jeremy Roenick we are talking about and in his mind there is no one better so could it be that maybe he has his sights on catching Modano for the #1 spot? Well, that’s not going to happen unless he plans on pulling a “Tanya Harding” on Mike. I can picture it now, an unsuspecting Modano walking down the dimly lit corridor leading to the locker room before the game and out of the shadows pops Stu Grimson with a lead pipe in his hand. All anyone hears is a “Whack!” and then cries of “Why?” “Why?” Okay, sorry about that, the coffee started to take over for a minute.
The reality of it folks, is that JR feels that he still has some gas left in the tank and that he can still contribute in some facet even if it is just cheerleading from the bench. Yes, I think he would have been better off joining NBC and trading jabs with “Chicken-parm” on Saturday afternoon games, but if his buddy Mr. Wilson wants to give him $500k to put on a Sharks uniform and give the local media some juicy quotes so be it. He won’t help the Sharks find the “promised land”, but he won’t hurt their chances either.
Love him or hate him or love to hate him, it doesn’t really matter; JR is back for one more go around. This bit has just been another opinionated asshole spouting off at the mouth about an opinionated asshole who spouts off at the mouth. You can now return to your regularly scheduled program.
My initial thought about the signing was: Why? The Sharks don’t need another center. They pushed every team around during the regular season and then got pushed around in the playoffs and Roenick certainly doesn’t fix that problem. They really didn’t need to find secondary scoring and a progressively declining Roenick definitely won’t be providing that anyway. So why would they sign this guy? Grit? Come on, that can’t be it unless you only need grit on the bench and in the locker room, because his grittiness ends there these days. Leadership? With guys like Thornton, Marleau, Davison and Brown I highly doubt that was it. When you ask the question of what is the missing piece the Sharks need to advance through the playoffs, JR and his 28 points certainly doesn’t come to mind. So all we are left to do is ask why with no real answer forthcoming.
Instead of asking why would the Sharks sign him, let’s ask why would he want to sign with the Sharks over retiring. This will be fun; I can get my shots in on him during this part! Let’s see….Umm, the Sharks are a team that has a shot at winning the cup and all he would have to do is ride the coattails of his teammates to have one last chance on getting his name on the trophy. How about reaching 500 goals? He is only 5 goals away from that plateau. Better yet, how about reaching #2 all time goals for U.S. born players? Joe Mullen stands at 507, which is only 12 goals away. Let’s face it folks, a friggin’ tree stump could score 12 goals on a power play where Thornton is dishing the puck. Come to think of it the tree stump might be a better idea, JR didn’t score 12 goals last season and the stump would probably come cheaper. Okay, that’s all fine and dandy and I’m sure that somewhere in the back of Roenick’s mind this is motivation enough to give it another try, but this is Jeremy Roenick we are talking about and in his mind there is no one better so could it be that maybe he has his sights on catching Modano for the #1 spot? Well, that’s not going to happen unless he plans on pulling a “Tanya Harding” on Mike. I can picture it now, an unsuspecting Modano walking down the dimly lit corridor leading to the locker room before the game and out of the shadows pops Stu Grimson with a lead pipe in his hand. All anyone hears is a “Whack!” and then cries of “Why?” “Why?” Okay, sorry about that, the coffee started to take over for a minute.
The reality of it folks, is that JR feels that he still has some gas left in the tank and that he can still contribute in some facet even if it is just cheerleading from the bench. Yes, I think he would have been better off joining NBC and trading jabs with “Chicken-parm” on Saturday afternoon games, but if his buddy Mr. Wilson wants to give him $500k to put on a Sharks uniform and give the local media some juicy quotes so be it. He won’t help the Sharks find the “promised land”, but he won’t hurt their chances either.
Love him or hate him or love to hate him, it doesn’t really matter; JR is back for one more go around. This bit has just been another opinionated asshole spouting off at the mouth about an opinionated asshole who spouts off at the mouth. You can now return to your regularly scheduled program.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
TAVARES SHOULD HURRY UP AND WAIT
After taking the long holiday weekend off from hockey to just enjoy life, family and the great outdoors, I come back to little news going on. No major news was tempting enough to comment on as I scanned the web this morning searching for some tidbit to put my two cents in. Then suddenly I found it. TSN.com ran a story about Oshawa Generals wonder-kid John Tavares and his agent pushing for an early entry into the NHL draft. On the surface I immediately notice a few things wrong with the request. One being that rules are rules and they are in place for a reason. Another being that we have an agent pushing the request and it just reeks of a more personal interest involved than the interest of the kid. Lastly, as good as this kid is, I see absolutely no need to rush him up the ladder when guys like Crosby and Lemieux had to wait. When you dig a little deeper things get a bit murky. Considering that Tavares was fast-tracked into the OHL early, has been playing with older kids and excelling (breaking Gretzky’s records) and misses the draft eligible age by a mere 5 days you start to see how the request gained its steam. Factor in that this kid now has to watch the majority of the guys he’s been playing with get drafted and head to NHL training camps while he waits another 2 years for his chance, one has to wonder if a case for such an exemption is warranted. There are two sides to the development issue in Tavares’ case, one being that he is still very young and another year or two in Major Juniors will only make him that much better when he is eligible, the other being that if he is dominating at this level will his development be held back due to the lack of challenging opposition. The whole situation surrounding this kid makes me think of all of the things that could go wrong if not handled correctly so let’s do a little weighing of the pluses versus the minuses in this case.
Fact: 16 years old, 6’- 0” 183lbs., 2 years of Major Juniors under his belt, 134 points last season for a 2 year total of 211 points.
Plus - size and skill playing against older competition at a higher level and excelling.
Minus – 16 years old
Fact: Having your agent push the issue for an amendment to the rules so you can enter the draft early while tossing about a threat of playing in Europe next year if you don’t get your way.
Plus – none
Minus – Every NHL GM now views this as whining and will factor that in when you do become draft eligible.
Fact: The rule states that players who turn 18 before 9/15/08 are draft eligible, you miss the cut by 5 days.
Plus – 5 days isn’t much when you look at the big picture.
Minus – rules are rules and everyone must follow the rules regardless of the situation.
Fact: The way it stands now, it will be another 2 years before you are draft eligible and are faced with another 2 years in the OHL.
Plus – 2 more years of domination and skill honing will make you that much better when you are drafted.
Minus – your development levels off from lack of a challenge and you risk career ending injuries before you can start a career.
I could go on and on with this and never get to an answer that would satisfy all parties involved so I will just state my personal feelings about it instead. Listen kid, you are very talented, no one will dispute that, but rules are in place to protect you for your own good not to keep you down or to diminish your abilities. Do yourself a favor and stop pushing for this amendment. Suck it up and follow the rules like everyone else before you and everyone after you. For God’s sake don’t let your agent dictated the future for you, he only smells the money that’s in it for him. He will promise you the moon and do and say whatever he can to convince you that it is all for your benefit. The fact remains that you are only 16 and I know that you feel ready for the next jump and I don’t doubt your ability to do so, but take your time, enjoy being 16, enjoy having another 2 years to continue to mature before all of the pressures of a career start weighing on you. You are truly in a unique situation, but don’t let that become your battle cry because that will end up being how you are viewed and judged. Believe me, the press will have a field day with that angle and NHL GM’s will be hesitant to go down that road with you as they have seen it before. Take these next 2 years to show the world that you have maturity beyond your years and better your chances of going #1 overall when your time finally comes. Don’t view these next 2 years as a punishment, rather view it as a challenge and make the most of it. As my grandfather used to always say when I was faced with a challenge growing up: “What doesn’t kill you kid, only serves to make you stronger.”
Fact: 16 years old, 6’- 0” 183lbs., 2 years of Major Juniors under his belt, 134 points last season for a 2 year total of 211 points.
Plus - size and skill playing against older competition at a higher level and excelling.
Minus – 16 years old
Fact: Having your agent push the issue for an amendment to the rules so you can enter the draft early while tossing about a threat of playing in Europe next year if you don’t get your way.
Plus – none
Minus – Every NHL GM now views this as whining and will factor that in when you do become draft eligible.
Fact: The rule states that players who turn 18 before 9/15/08 are draft eligible, you miss the cut by 5 days.
Plus – 5 days isn’t much when you look at the big picture.
Minus – rules are rules and everyone must follow the rules regardless of the situation.
Fact: The way it stands now, it will be another 2 years before you are draft eligible and are faced with another 2 years in the OHL.
Plus – 2 more years of domination and skill honing will make you that much better when you are drafted.
Minus – your development levels off from lack of a challenge and you risk career ending injuries before you can start a career.
I could go on and on with this and never get to an answer that would satisfy all parties involved so I will just state my personal feelings about it instead. Listen kid, you are very talented, no one will dispute that, but rules are in place to protect you for your own good not to keep you down or to diminish your abilities. Do yourself a favor and stop pushing for this amendment. Suck it up and follow the rules like everyone else before you and everyone after you. For God’s sake don’t let your agent dictated the future for you, he only smells the money that’s in it for him. He will promise you the moon and do and say whatever he can to convince you that it is all for your benefit. The fact remains that you are only 16 and I know that you feel ready for the next jump and I don’t doubt your ability to do so, but take your time, enjoy being 16, enjoy having another 2 years to continue to mature before all of the pressures of a career start weighing on you. You are truly in a unique situation, but don’t let that become your battle cry because that will end up being how you are viewed and judged. Believe me, the press will have a field day with that angle and NHL GM’s will be hesitant to go down that road with you as they have seen it before. Take these next 2 years to show the world that you have maturity beyond your years and better your chances of going #1 overall when your time finally comes. Don’t view these next 2 years as a punishment, rather view it as a challenge and make the most of it. As my grandfather used to always say when I was faced with a challenge growing up: “What doesn’t kill you kid, only serves to make you stronger.”
Thursday, August 30, 2007
25 PLAYERS TO WATCH THIS SEASON
I was going to put together a list of the top 25 players to watch this year, but after putting it down, the names on the list looked more like a who’s who of the NHL and that wasn’t the angle I was going for. We all know the names of the top players in the league so I saw no reason to just list them. Instead, I decided to take a look around and compile a list of young players that are up and coming or are well on their way to establishing themselves as future superstars in a short period of time. Here is my list (in no particular order) of 25 young NHL players that are poised or have the potential to have strong seasons this year. Unfortunately, I limited the list to 25 so a few players were left off the list and I added a couple of surprises over some more obvious picks. If, for some odd reason, you don’t know much about the names on this list, do yourselves a favor and learn them. I will be keeping an eye on them this year as some of them will continue to progress, some will break out with a monster season and some will level off or disappoint. All the same, they are worth watching as these youngsters gain more ice time, experience and exposure as they climb the ranks of the NHL.
Corey Perry - Ducks
Phil Kessel - Bruins
Drew Stafford - Sabres
Paul Stastny - Avalanche
Wojtek Wolski - Avalanche
Daniel Fritsche – Blue Jackets
Valtteri Filppula – Red Wings
Rostislav Olesz - Panthers
Anze Kopitar - Kings
Alexander Frolov - Kings
Petr Kalus - Wild
Tomas Plekanec - Canadiens
Guillaume Latendresse - Canadiens
Shea Weber - Predators
Zach Parise - Devils
Petr Prucha - Rangers
Anton Volchenkov - Senators
Jordan Staal - Penguins
Rob Scuderi - Penguins
Milan Michalek - Sharks
David Backes - Blues
Lee Stempniak - Blues
Kevin Bieksa - Canucks
Alexander Semin - Capitals
Jeff Schultz - Capitals
Corey Perry - Ducks
Phil Kessel - Bruins
Drew Stafford - Sabres
Paul Stastny - Avalanche
Wojtek Wolski - Avalanche
Daniel Fritsche – Blue Jackets
Valtteri Filppula – Red Wings
Rostislav Olesz - Panthers
Anze Kopitar - Kings
Alexander Frolov - Kings
Petr Kalus - Wild
Tomas Plekanec - Canadiens
Guillaume Latendresse - Canadiens
Shea Weber - Predators
Zach Parise - Devils
Petr Prucha - Rangers
Anton Volchenkov - Senators
Jordan Staal - Penguins
Rob Scuderi - Penguins
Milan Michalek - Sharks
David Backes - Blues
Lee Stempniak - Blues
Kevin Bieksa - Canucks
Alexander Semin - Capitals
Jeff Schultz - Capitals
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
A RANDOM THOUGHT PROCESS
Here we go again, I’ve got a strong coffee buzz on and my thought process is too scattered to concentrate on one topic. So, as always when this happens, I will toss down my random thoughts (in between twitches), so you too can experience what it’s like living with my brain jacked up on coffee. Oh, lucky you.
Eddie Belfour signs with a Swedish club? Has he run out of bars in the U.S. that will tolerate his shenanigans? I wonder if he will offer any Swedish cops a million euros to let him go.
Scott Niedermayer’s going to retire….no, wait….he’s not….no, wait….he is….no, wait….he’s not….What the hell? I’m crazy enough without this kind of shit! I’m glad Scotty isn’t this indecisive when he has the puck.
I love the idea of the outdoor game between the Pens and Sabres; only I hope this year Buffalo doesn’t see the kind of snow they got hammered with last year. Get your shovels ready, just in case.
So what exactly are the lessons learned from the lost and recently found Stanley Cup ring of Jim Pappin? When you earn a ring, don’t give it to your father-in law? When someone gives you a Cup ring don’t wear it while diving? When you lose someone’s Cup ring while diving tell them that you lost it right away, don’t have it replicated and not tell him you lost it for ten or more years? When you find a lost Cup ring while treasure hunting return it without asking for a reward? I’m confused.
I guess my questions are….Would Steve Moore have made $20 million playing hockey? Todd Bertuzzi still makes money playing hockey, why?
What’s going on with the Flames? First Kiprusoff rejects a contract offer and wants to test the market next year, now Giordano rejects an offer and signs with a Russian team. Oh, yeah that’s right, I forgot, Mike Keenan.
Do the Sharks and Senators really think a more determined and fierce looking logo upgrade will be what it takes to succeed in the postseason?
The Hockey News released their list of the top 50 players in the NHL. This one is a head-scratcher. Just take a look and you will see what I mean.
Who will provide the most “bang” for the buck? Vanek, Penner or Parise? My pick is Parise.
Mental note: Don’t ever let Alex Kovalev ride your Harley.
Soon we will have two hockey arenas in the U.S. without a team (K.C. and Vegas). Can you say relocation anyone?
If Vegas gets a team in the near future, will they ask Rick Tocchet to be the GM? Just a thought.
Just spin the damn wheel to see where Peter Forsberg will be playing this year. The only thing that is certain with Forsberg is that he won’t be playing until December at the earliest. Which makes me wonder why any team would want to be on that wheel.
I mean really, is anyone shedding tears over the Cuthbert – Avery breakup? File this one in the “I didn’t care in the first place” folder.
What a sad day it will be when the NHL does away with goal judges.
The Crosby Collection? Come on Sid, did you really have to launch a clothing line? What’s next perfume? P.S. The pink sneakers are a bit much, don’t you think?
Normally I get at least a chuckle out of Mike Myers and his antics. But a movie starring Justin Timberlake portraying a L.A. King has got to rank among the worst ideas ever.
I hope they never ever play that Nike ad with Micheal Vick playing hockey with the Avs again.
Too bad there isn’t any hype in the U.S. about the Russia – Canada super series. The one that took place 35 years ago was a classic. It can be found on DVD, do yourselves a favor and get a copy.
Mike Peca wears a Blue Jacket….for now.
Free food and drink will be offered again for the fans at the Blues game versus the Predators. I guess you have to do something to get people through the gates.
There will never be another GM like Sam Pollock. He will be missed.
Will Mike Richter wear his goalie mask when he takes part in the New York marathon?
Eddie Belfour signs with a Swedish club? Has he run out of bars in the U.S. that will tolerate his shenanigans? I wonder if he will offer any Swedish cops a million euros to let him go.
Scott Niedermayer’s going to retire….no, wait….he’s not….no, wait….he is….no, wait….he’s not….What the hell? I’m crazy enough without this kind of shit! I’m glad Scotty isn’t this indecisive when he has the puck.
I love the idea of the outdoor game between the Pens and Sabres; only I hope this year Buffalo doesn’t see the kind of snow they got hammered with last year. Get your shovels ready, just in case.
So what exactly are the lessons learned from the lost and recently found Stanley Cup ring of Jim Pappin? When you earn a ring, don’t give it to your father-in law? When someone gives you a Cup ring don’t wear it while diving? When you lose someone’s Cup ring while diving tell them that you lost it right away, don’t have it replicated and not tell him you lost it for ten or more years? When you find a lost Cup ring while treasure hunting return it without asking for a reward? I’m confused.
I guess my questions are….Would Steve Moore have made $20 million playing hockey? Todd Bertuzzi still makes money playing hockey, why?
What’s going on with the Flames? First Kiprusoff rejects a contract offer and wants to test the market next year, now Giordano rejects an offer and signs with a Russian team. Oh, yeah that’s right, I forgot, Mike Keenan.
Do the Sharks and Senators really think a more determined and fierce looking logo upgrade will be what it takes to succeed in the postseason?
The Hockey News released their list of the top 50 players in the NHL. This one is a head-scratcher. Just take a look and you will see what I mean.
Who will provide the most “bang” for the buck? Vanek, Penner or Parise? My pick is Parise.
Mental note: Don’t ever let Alex Kovalev ride your Harley.
Soon we will have two hockey arenas in the U.S. without a team (K.C. and Vegas). Can you say relocation anyone?
If Vegas gets a team in the near future, will they ask Rick Tocchet to be the GM? Just a thought.
Just spin the damn wheel to see where Peter Forsberg will be playing this year. The only thing that is certain with Forsberg is that he won’t be playing until December at the earliest. Which makes me wonder why any team would want to be on that wheel.
I mean really, is anyone shedding tears over the Cuthbert – Avery breakup? File this one in the “I didn’t care in the first place” folder.
What a sad day it will be when the NHL does away with goal judges.
The Crosby Collection? Come on Sid, did you really have to launch a clothing line? What’s next perfume? P.S. The pink sneakers are a bit much, don’t you think?
Normally I get at least a chuckle out of Mike Myers and his antics. But a movie starring Justin Timberlake portraying a L.A. King has got to rank among the worst ideas ever.
I hope they never ever play that Nike ad with Micheal Vick playing hockey with the Avs again.
Too bad there isn’t any hype in the U.S. about the Russia – Canada super series. The one that took place 35 years ago was a classic. It can be found on DVD, do yourselves a favor and get a copy.
Mike Peca wears a Blue Jacket….for now.
Free food and drink will be offered again for the fans at the Blues game versus the Predators. I guess you have to do something to get people through the gates.
There will never be another GM like Sam Pollock. He will be missed.
Will Mike Richter wear his goalie mask when he takes part in the New York marathon?
Thursday, August 23, 2007
LIST OF NAME RFA's FOR 2008 - POTENTIAL OFFER SHEET TARGETS
A friend recently sent me a list of RFA players next summer that could be potential targets for offer sheets. In light of what took place this summer there is a chance we could see more offer sheets in the future, so I thought it was noteworthy to pass along the list. There are some names on this list that I’m sure will be under contract before next summer, but if for some reason teams let time slip away the poachers will be ready. It will be interesting to see how GM’s will approach the situation. Will they be pro-active and make sure they tie up their RFA’s long before it becomes an issue? Will they take the arbitration route and take their chances there while protecting from offer sheets? Or will they role the dice and hope no one will walk through the door Kevin Lowe kicked open this summer? Any way you look at it the threat of offer sheets is like an 800lb gorilla in the room, you can choose to recognize it and react or choose to ignore it and hope it goes away. Here is the list:
Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Dion Phaneuf, Tuomo Ruutu, Brent Seabrook, Wojtek Wolski, Dan Fritsche, Valtteri Filppula, Jarret Stoll, Dustin Brown, Ryan Suter, Shea Weber, Matt Carle, Christian Ehrhoff, Joe Pavelski, Brad Boyes, Kari Lehtonen, Mark Stuart, Brandon Bochenski, Paul Gaustad, Tim Gleason, Andrew Ladd, Jay Bouwmeester, Jaroslav Halak, Fedor Tyutin, Al Montoya, Jason Spezza, Antoine Vermette, Andrej Meszaros, Patrick Eaves, R.J. Umberger, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Jussi Timonen, Marc-Andre Fleury, Kyle Wellwood, Matt Stajan, Alexander Steen, Alexander Semin, Mike Green, Eric Fehr, Boyd Gordon.
After looking over the list, it seems that the Ducks, Preds, Sharks, Sens, Flyers and Caps are the teams to keep an eye on to see what they do. While other teams have some key players on this list, it is the teams mentioned that have a few and the potential to have to make some tough choices. The list may dwindle down over the course of the season leading into next July, but there should still be enough names left come next summer to make things interesting. What do you think?
Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Dion Phaneuf, Tuomo Ruutu, Brent Seabrook, Wojtek Wolski, Dan Fritsche, Valtteri Filppula, Jarret Stoll, Dustin Brown, Ryan Suter, Shea Weber, Matt Carle, Christian Ehrhoff, Joe Pavelski, Brad Boyes, Kari Lehtonen, Mark Stuart, Brandon Bochenski, Paul Gaustad, Tim Gleason, Andrew Ladd, Jay Bouwmeester, Jaroslav Halak, Fedor Tyutin, Al Montoya, Jason Spezza, Antoine Vermette, Andrej Meszaros, Patrick Eaves, R.J. Umberger, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Jussi Timonen, Marc-Andre Fleury, Kyle Wellwood, Matt Stajan, Alexander Steen, Alexander Semin, Mike Green, Eric Fehr, Boyd Gordon.
After looking over the list, it seems that the Ducks, Preds, Sharks, Sens, Flyers and Caps are the teams to keep an eye on to see what they do. While other teams have some key players on this list, it is the teams mentioned that have a few and the potential to have to make some tough choices. The list may dwindle down over the course of the season leading into next July, but there should still be enough names left come next summer to make things interesting. What do you think?
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
NHL'ers HEADING FOR EUROPE - A REASON FOR CONCERN?
One of the effects we are seeing from operating in this “salary cap era” is more middle tier and older veteran players heading for Europe. These players are getting squeezed out by the high prices being paid to top tier talent and to make room for affordable young up and coming talent. We are also seeing more European players heading home due to being less than happy with their roles on NHL teams. This new trend isn’t all that alarming on face value and was even predicted by some as the new CBA was introduced. Everyone knew there would be casualties and it makes sense for these players to be the ones to take the hit. Although the trend isn’t alarming, it shouldn’t be taken lightly by any means. Just looking at the fact that some players that are under contract with NHL teams are “defecting” back to Europe tells you that the pay scale for them looks brighter overseas and perhaps increased ice time as well (not to mention being back home around family). To me, this trend should be kept a close eye on as to how things develop. The reason I say this is because if the European and Russian “super leagues” decide to get their acts together and merge as one league, it has the potential to give the NHL a run for its money. Picture a rivalry that would make the bidding wars between the NHL and WHA of the 1970’s look like a “hissy-fit” at Girl Scout camp. Imagine the NHL without the likes of Ovechkin, Malkin, Lundqvist, Kovalchuk, etc. as its premiere players due to the appeal of playing in Europe. On top of that, picture a steady stream of middle tier players (not just European) heading over due to bigger paychecks, older vets finishing their careers for bigger money, young talent going straight there bypassing the NHL and you can start to see my concern. Some will say that it would do the NHL some good to have some competition as the league sometimes seems stale, but there is always trouble when you let the wolves in the back door. Truly I’m not trying to be an alarmist, I just want to make the point that this is something that could potentially become a reality in the future and something the NHL should be looking into and taking steps to put a plan in place. The problem that the NHL faces is that they could very well be handcuffed by their own salary cap system if this were to become a reality in the near future. Something to think about.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
